The Elementalist will be returning in Guild Wars 2 as a playable profession. For those who don’t know, the Elementalist is something similar to a Mage or Wizard who controls the elements to deal massive amounts of damage and control the battlefield with their powerful magic. They’re a very versatile profession with the ability to deal high amounts of single target and AoE damage, and with the many utility spells to snare enemies and help control the fight. They’ll be returning in Guild Wars 2 with a few new tricks up the sleeves of their robes.

Elemental Attunement

Unlike the Warrior, the Elementalist will not be able to change weapons in combat. That will not prevent them from being able to switch skills, however. The first five skills on the Elementalist’s skillbar are determined by the weapon equipped along with which element the Elementalist is attuned to. Each elemental attunement changes the class drastically by providing bonuses based on the element along with skills from that element.

  • Fire Magic: AoE damage is where Fire will shine the most, with the majority of the spells focusing on dealing damage to large groups of enemies. Attuning to Fire will burn any nearby enemies who attack you.
  • Air Magic: Air Magic focuses on single target DPS in order to bring a single target down as fast as possible. Attuning to Air will deal damage to all nearby enemies.
  • Water Magic: Control in the battlefield is important and that’s where Water shines. Water focuses on forms of control like snaring enemies and helping your allies. Attuning to Water will heal your nearby allies constantly.
  • Earth Magic: Earth Magic is a lot like Water but more defense oriented. Earth contains a lot of stuns and attuning to Earth will drastically increase your defense.

Based on the above, it looks like you’ll want to switch between the elements based on the situation. If a large group of enemies is charging you then you’ll want to blow them with away with Fire Magic while if you’re facing a single boss then you’ll be Air attuned. Depending on the situation, Water and Earth would come into play when you’re not so much needing to do damage as you would need to control a battle and help your allies.

Spell Types

Every profession as a few unique spell types assigned to them. The Elementalist has four which work very well for the idea behind the class mechanics.

  • Glyphs: Glyphs seem to work like they do in the original Guild Wars by buffing future spells that you’ll be casting.
  • Signets: Signets will provide a constant buff to yourself and can be activated in order to do something else, like in the example given, stun all nearby enemies.
  • Conjure Spells: Conjure Flame in the original Guild Wars simply made your fire damage with weapons much stronger, yet in GW2 we can expect Conjure Spells to summon environmental weapons (like rocks to throw) and other miscellaneous items.
  • Area Spells: Area spells seem to designate that the Elementalist may have a lot more AoE spells than other scholar professions. Nonetheless, Elementalists will be able to do a lot of damage in large areas.

Spells

There are a few spells returning from the original Guild Wars in addition to a few new ones that have been revealed so far:

  • Meteor Shower: Appears on the surface to be a standard AoE attack spell that deals massive damage to everything within its radius.
  • Phoenix: This spell looks to send a projectile flying straight out from the caster and then returning dealing damage to everything that it hits on the way around.
  • Static Field: A field of magic surrounds you that stuns everything that passes through it. It also will increase the damage of any projectiles that move through it.
  • Water Trident: A simple single target DPS skill.
  • Churning Earth: An AoE snare that does damage while channeled.
  • Vapor Form: An ability used while downed to move around slowly.
  • Grasping Earth: Used to snare enemies while downed.
  • Aura of Restoration: Heals the caster each time a spell is cast.
  • Healing Rain: A ground targeted AoE healing spell.
  • Geyser: A geyser comes out of the ground damaging enemies and healing nearby allies.
  • Windborne Speed: Works very similar to the Guild Wars skill. A targeted ally with gain a movement speed boost which can help escape damage or get closer to the enemy faster.

Weapons

Elementalists are scholars which means that they can only use light armor, but they do have access to a few interesting weapons. Your first five skills are determined by your weapon in addition to your attunement; however, you won’t be able to change weapons in combat.

  • Scepters: Close range combat.
  • Dagger: medium range spells
  • Staff: Slow casting long range spells
  • Off-hand Dagger: Medium range abilities.
  • Focus: Close range abilities.

 Can’t wait to throw on your wizard hat and purify some evil with your fiery might? Come to the Ten Ton Hammer community forums and share your thoughts on this mystical class.


To read the latest guides, news, and features you can visit our Guild Wars Game Page.

Last Updated: Mar 13, 2016

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